Privatization of Public Schools
Chart depicting Philadelphia Public School District 4th grade national proficiency rating in reading, math, and science compared to other urban districts, and the national average. As you can see, every time, Philadelphia comes up short. Chart can be found here.
Many, many, schools and school districts have been labeled
as “failing.” Because of this, districts have been privatizing schools, meaning
that they place schools under the care or private corporations in the hopes
that they will do a “better” job of producing higher test scores than the
government can. The concept is extremely controversial because the companies
that run the schools are for-profit, and not out to give students and excellent
education, but to make money. When I first this, I was confused because prior
to this information, I would have thought that the schools would act as a kind
of black hole that sucks money and resources, not something that makes money.
In actuality though, the corporations get money from the government for running
the schools, and are allowed to do with it what they like.
In Philadelphia, some schools have already been privatized and
turned over to Edison Schools Inc (a
private for-profit company) and we are at risk of the entire district becoming
privatized. There are several factors that are contributing to this, lack of
money (The Philadelphia School District has a funding gap of about $269 million
according to the local paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer), low test scores, and
poor management. The schools that have already become privatized though, have
not shown any improvement.
Study author Vaughan Bymes says, “By 2006, the achievement gap between the privatized group and the rest of the district was greater than it was before the intervention.”
So far, I have collected information about the topic, but I am left with a feeling of wanting more, and confusion. It’s a extremely complex issue, and I have a few questions. These questions include what people are doing about this, and why ar these kind of things happening.
I'm wondering how anyone could let this happen.
I’m wondering how things could’ve gotten out of control and gotten in such a despairing situation.
